


Heritage

by ImagineStories23



Series: Bloodline [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Gore, Body Language, Cross-species adoptation, F/M, Family, Feral Behavior, Gen, Identity Issues, On the Run, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 21:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8594002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImagineStories23/pseuds/ImagineStories23
Summary: Kailiyah and Kaiden, twins from another land, raised in different opposing countries, learn more about those of their blood.





	

_**K**_ aiden and Kailiyah over to the sewer grate, he was hoping he wouldn’t have to use it, but there was no way that they could break through it physically. Kaiden knelt beside it and brought his hand out in front of him, going pale as it grew and twisted into a claw.

Gods, it was starting to make sense now.

Thinking back, this had happened many times in the past, but that same blurry deliriousness had followed each occasion. Even now, with his pounding headache, it was hard to quiet the adrenaline rushing about, trying to misshape her other hand, too, and his legs and back and skin. It was as if just drawing out one claw created a massive crack in a dam threatening already to burst. He didn’t want to believe it, they were both still in a great deal of denial, they spurned the idea that sorcerer put into their heads. But every time they tapped into it, every time it appeared, every time they turned, blacking out during the process said otherwise. His heart pounded in his chest, his blood threatened to spark to life. _No… No… Stay calm, stay calm. I have to do this, to escape._ He thought taking a deep breathe.

The determined prisoner retained his focus enough to gouge a hole in the frame of the sewer entrance big enough to slip through. Without thinking, he dropped into the narrow shaft, everything immediately went black. He slid on her back along the passageway before the ground gave out beneath him, and he was screaming for a brief moment in midair before he landed in shallow water with a splash.

Slowly, Kaiden blinked open his eyes. It was still dark, but there was just barely enough light to make out the stone ledges on either side of the sewer, as well as the slanted passage he'd fell from. No, with her eyes - her sight perhaps heightened from tapping into that power again - he could see just fine; the smell, however, was overwhelmingly rancid, and the water seemed to cling to her clothes and skin. His ears flicked, hearing a yelp from above before he knew it, a body landed on top of him, giving him a face full of the rancid sewer water. Kailiyah quickly got up off of him and helped him up to his feet, his face warped in disgust, trying his best to wipe as much of it off his face as he could.

Kailiyah wheezed and stood up, panic energizing her muscles. Gods, they were out. They were out. In the sewers, but out of their cages nonetheless. Kailiyah and Kaiden moved as one, bounding up one of the ledges onto the path beside the waterway, and began to sprint, faster than they’ve ever run in their lives. There has got to be a way out here. Somewhere... She fought for air, taking in hungry gulps of the stench, eyes watering, and rounded a few more corners. Even then... What will do...? The rocks grew slick with water, and each of her steps caused some to splash up around her. Iago said this is Windmire… Castle Krackenburg… Iago’s taunts echoed in her mind; even if they were to escape, then what? Where to…? They’ve never been to Windmire, and hadn't even been outside of the spire in years, probably. Iago had told them that he had eyes everywhere. Kailiyah wheezed. It didn't matter… It didn't matter! They had to get out of here. The Nohrians had been doing something to her; both she and her twin. They needed to escape, maybe they would find some kind of cure for what was happening to them, they refuse to believe that they were… were…

Somehow, the air began to smell fresher. More humid, and faintly metallic. It tickled her nose. Gods, what she'd give to see the daylight again. There must be an exit up ahead… A drain, anything… Kailiyah gritted her teeth hard as she ran even faster still, keeping in pace with Kaiden. They stumbling around a corner, and...

And comes face to face with … with…

  
She didn't even know how to describe the throng of creatures that stood before them in the damp sewer tunnel… Giant masses of muscle and flesh, adorned - held together, maybe - by metal ornaments and chains. Their heads, which was just little round ball atop it massive torso, were protected by an egg-shaped helmet. The holes covering it had some kind of saliva or ooze dripping out onto its turquoise skin.

The two skidded to a halt, feeling their heartbeat speed up to triple its normal pace. All at once, the mass of creatures - perhaps a dozen or so - turned.

For a brief moment, they exchanging stares with each other; then one of them roared, and they all clambered forwards at an alarming rate, filling the waterway with the thunderous sound of stomping.

They screamed and took off in the other direction. Kailiyah’s hand moving to her stomach where by now she'd already gotten a cramp. Her bare feet, too, grew numb, and she lost track of her own footsteps among the stampede of thuds, slipping on what she'd prayed was the right turn and falling into the water again, “Argh!”

  
Kaiden whirled around, “Sister!”

In a moment, the army was already upon her, leaping from the walls and flinging themselves around. Kailiyah rolled out of the way of a meaty fist which then pounded into the floor, then barely jumped backwards to avoid a whipping chain on her left, the links nearly half her size. Running in the water was not an option. But if I stay here I'm going to get mashed.

And for a moment, she could've sworn her father, Sumeragi, was there, telling her to keep fighting, not to let herself die. Kailiyah’s body moved on its own; she swerved to the right to dodge another swiping fist, crashing into the wall, and then shot out one arm, gasping when it took a sharp lance-like shape. The tip jabbed one of the monsters in its throat and it cried out furiously; the sound seemed to send vibrations through Kailiyah’s very bones. The other monsters paused at the outburst, and Kailiyah took the opportunity to start for the stone pathway again after her brother. Her malformed hand slowing her down but not really caring at the moment as she cared more to create more distance between her and those things.

  
In the many twists and turns they’ve made, they sworn they had lost them until two of them leapt out of the shadows with throaty roars. For a moment, she thought about escaping back to the safety of that cage as she knew they wouldn’t even be able to follow them up the narrow shaft and lose interest in the chase.

No no no. They weren’t going back. Never.

She stepped back looking for a way to escape. Kailiyah saw the path on the other side on the tunnel, but it was too far to jump and they’d be slowed by climbing back up to it. The echo of the hideous creatures’ wails were heard coming up from behind them… They were pressed on time.

One of them leapt for her, she moved, trying to jump over to the other side. Again, her blood seemed to respond to her panic and a surge of pain ran up her spine that she almost ignored, loud tears were heard from the back of her shirt. She fully expected to land within the muck, but she didn’t, instead she glided shakily through the air and landed roughly on the other side, falling on her knees. Kailiyah swung her head around, to find... to find... A-a wing...? No. W-Wings?! A pair! Two, white, leathery, limb-like wings just a feet or two short from being equal to her body length protruding from her back. _Dragon. Dragon._ The word echoed in her head still. _Dragon. Dragon. Dragon._ Its ugly face kept rearing up whenever it had the chance. Kailiyah felt like crying, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. _No. No. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Focus._ She looked over to Kaiden who was backing away from the two hulking creatures that were closing in and on the other end, another was closing in from the other side.

“Jump! Jump!” Kaiden glanced at Kailiyah, then ducked underneath a meaty swing and leapt. She watched as the same white wings tore through from the back of his shirt, his jump prolonged as air got caught underneath them, she quickly grabbed his hand once he was close enough and pulled him up. And they bolted down the left tunnel.

  
With no real control of their wing muscles, they hung limply from their backs, almost dragging upon the dirty sewer floor. More turns and twists, and the grotesque creatures were at their heels again...

The tunnels had gone completely dark again at some point, as well, yet she was able to turn and intercept another chain being whipped towards her. With her transformed arm, she sent it flying back into the monster's head.

With one more turn, they stood at the edge of drop, it was a huge drop into whirlpool of raging water. It was essentially a dead end. Where now? They would have to head back to the direction where those creatures were. Her head turned to hear a series groan echoing down the sewer tunnel, the two edged closer to the ledge. They couldn’t stay here… She looked back over the ledge, staring at the roaring whirlpool below before glancing back.

  
They were getting closer, Kaiden could see them running towards them, some galloping down the hall on their knuckles. They have to… They take a deep breath, hold each other’s hand and step over the edge.

They plunges into the raging whirlpool with a SPLASH, coughing up water as they fought against water to keep their heads above, but after a several minutes of spinning around a wide circle, they were soon pulled under by the strong current. Kailiyah held in her breathe, she couldn’t see much after that. She only saw glimpses of the rushing water, it roared and gurgled in her ears as she fought to stay level. Something grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close, it had to be Kaiden, it had to be. She clinged to the body tightly with her only free and normal hand as they continued to tumbled through the tubes, her lungs were burning for air. After a good several minutes, there was a break, she felt cold air wipe against her face, she took a breath, but quickly found herself back in the water again with another SPLASH! But this water was calm, it didn’t toss them about like the water they were just in. The body she was holding onto slowly began to pull her up until they met the surface. She finally opened her eyes, seeing Kaiden, land was not far from where they were, he swam as best as he could soon pulling her up onto the sandy shore, exhausted.

With another wheeze, she heaved herself more up onto the beach side, dragged herself through the sand with her right arm, as the left was still misshapen, hanging at her side. Sweat and grimy water clung to her skin, soaking the clothes beneath and weighing her down even more before she caved and laid there in the sand, catching her breath. Listening to the sound of the waves, gently licking at the sandy shore, staring up at the shadowy sky.

  
They were out… they were free.

  
But she knew they would be hunted… They would be looking for them. HE would be looking for them along with his lackey. The panic and adrenaline that had fueled their bodies had left and in its place was a numbing exhaustion.

  
She was free… It was hard to believe, she didn’t want to close her eyes in fear that she would just wake up back in the cage she had been kept in for so long…

  
The thought of escape was so surreal to her at one point. That sorcerer, Iago, had been feeding her the idea she would never be able to escape the fate that they had set for them, that she lose herself to the savage, primal impulses that was imbedded into her blood since birth and would then be nothing, but a weapon for Nohr’s king to command for the war on Hoshido. She escaped that fate and created a new one filled with uncertainty.

  
“We … we have to leave.” Her brother wheezed, trying to find the energy to stand.

  
Finding the strength, she sat up in the sand, Kailiyah glanced at her transformed hand with disbelief, squeezing her eyes shut. No. No. I’m not! I’m NOT! She grunted in pain, her left hand was first, slowly reverting back to normal, and the wings were second, steadily receding into her back.

  
“... Yeah.” They needed to get away, gain more distance, the farther the better. Kailiyah tried to climb to her feet, but found that exhaustion kept her down, a sigh escapes her lips, “ I … I can’t move.”

  
“Me neither…” said Kaiden.

  
They needed to rest, but they couldn’t, not out in the open. The winds were unforgiving against her soaked body and anyone could see her especially her captors.

  
She glances around, there was a good stretch of sand that soon breaks away to a forest, the area seemed secluded, but still. Her eyes searched one more time and spots a log that seemed to be eaten away from the inside, halfway buried into the sand.

  
“... Over there…” She manages to get onto her hands and knees and crawls over to it, peering inside it before climbing inside, judging that it was big enough not only completely conceal her but her brother as well.

  
The sand was cold, but it would have to do for the time being as she used her arms as she curls up, her brother soon joining besides her. When they waked, they would move find some place to hideaway. Slowly, though her body wanted her to stay up and alert for danger, she found herself drifting into a hollow pit of sleep.

  
_**~*~** _

  
Iago was prepared himself to visit the dragons this morning. One thing he had to recommend them for was that strong will of theirs, it was unyielding, never has he had some much trouble breaking something, no less children. But he’s seen the signs; they weren’t fighting back against him as much, weren’t questioning him either, and their transformations were triggered much faster.

  
Through his various visits he’s picked up on many things; their endurance, speed, strength and power. He'd put to use all sorts of spells in order to test their draconic forms -- what they resisted, what they were weak to, what they was able to dodge and what they still had trouble detecting. All of this to get it ready for the war to come.

  
The last couple of months, his King began to use them for simple tasks, one of them being executing prisoners. It was a good way to analyze and see how well they would do up against the men of Hoshido army. And he was more than impressed. The usual weapons of the Hoshidans had could do nothing against the dragons’ thick hide, they only bounce off, as expected only a Wyrmslayer could do any real damage to it and weapons like those were hard to find as well as expensive.

Iago had watched with a very sick sense of satisfaction and joy from the blecher as the savage beasts tore through groups of them without mercy. He couldn’t wait to see the faces of their enemy contort in fear and horror as the dragon barrels through their force with ease, setting their forces ablaze with hellfire, raining down lighting, making the earth crumble beneath them. He seen what it could do and he can ensure that Hoshido has little chance against them.

  
He remember seeing their faces contort in horror when he told them what they truly are; feral dragons, ones more intelligent than the Wyverns of today, like the ones spoken only spoken in legend. He something in their eyes break, their wills perhaps. They were almost ready, he could taste it. He did as much as he could to play with their minds, trying to break them, telling them, even showing them that escape was useless. That they wouldn’t get far even if they did. They had been in that cages since they were one.

He had sent a small group ahead of him, the usual two to feed them. Once they were, he would go down there for his usual visit and--

  
“Advisor!” The sorcerer turned his head away from his book to see the feeding group standing at the doorway.

  
“What is it?” He said, disgruntled, “I am busy preparing! Have you fed the dragons yet?”

  
“That’s the thing sir.”

  
“They’re gone!”

  
“What?!” The sorcerer abruptly stood up in his seat, knocking the wooden furniture onto the stone floor.

  
“There was a hole in the floor, sir.”

  
A hole in the floor? The sewer grate … Clever little brats. “Send out search parties! Scourer every corner and crevice of Nohr! King Garon is NOT know about this… understand!” The guards quickly nodded and marched off.

  
His feathery cape fluttered behind him as the sorcerer walked out the library in a quick pace. He would have to search himself, he could not lose those dragons.

  
His life depended on it.

  
_**~*~** _

  
Kailiyah and Kaiden woke to voices right outside the log they slept in. Kailiyah’s head turned slowly, glancing out the small hole in the hollowed out log to see two large wyverns had landed in the small cove and walking around the area were two armored men, their riders, armed with bows. Nets, ropes, and chains hung from the saddles of the Wyverns.

  
“The advisor wants us search and capture those dragons? Like the one that faced off against Crown Prince Xander months ago? That thing nearly killed him…”

  
Kailiyah and Kaiden kept absolutely still, the chains on their wrists, ankles and neck would rattle and give them away.

  
“Yeah. Those things are nasty. I was there when one of them spat out this sicky green liquid at one of the prisoners. It was nightmarish. His flesh melted away like it was melt paper.”

  
“I heard one of them burned two of them alive.”

  
Kaiden and Kailiyah were forced to listen to the two men talk about the horrible and brutal things they’ve done; the people they’ve killed. Ones they’ve gutted, ones they’ve bitten in half; torn limb from limb. Kailiyah couldn’t keep the salty tears from rolling down her cheeks, but kept quiet as she could. The men only gave a passing glance to the hollow log they hid in.

  
Eventually, they mounted up and took to the skies, they waited until the wing beats disappeared into the distance. The twins climbed out from underneath the log, standing up.

  
“ … … W-w...we’re monsters, aren't we?” Kaiden looked to Kailiyah watching a tears rolled down her cheeks in a steady stream, dripping onto the cold sand, “We’ve hurt people. We’ve killed people.”

  
Kaiden didn’t know what to say at first before balling his fists, and walking over to Kailiyah gripping her shoulders, “Listen to me, Sister. We aren’t … monsters. We aren’t...”

  
It wasn't long before the two were walking across the shoreline. Halfway across the cove, Kailiyah picked up on the sound of wingbeats, she looks up into the black sky glancing around until she spotted it. Two massive silhouette was swooping down upon them upon gargantuan wings.

  
“RUN!” She yelled as she began running, her brother soon spotted the dragon as well and quickly followed suit after her, but the beast was quickly upon them, pulling up at last second, the wind kicked up by it tossed them and sand into the air. Kailiyah fell onto her face into the sand, she slowly sat up spitting sand out of her mouth and brushing it out of her hair as they gathered their senses.

  
With a heavy _**THUD**_ , they landed before them, a huge scaly creatures -- a dragon -- with many heads and wings, it looked down at them. Kaiden and Kailiyah huddled together, visible trembling as they stared wide eyed at the monsters. One approached, Its heads lowered down to them, large nostrils flaring, taking in the air. They flinched as it gave out a snort, it could smell dragon on them, as well as human, it could see the chains that were chafing their necks, ankles and wrists. A deep rumble from it shook the air around them.

  
Words. She heard words, though it was a deep rumble, she could make out words. Small young alone hurt _…?_

  
“Wha…”

  
_Hum-Ans? hurt? both? hurt?_  For some reason, they found … sympathy in it. _No-fear no-worry me care me heal me love young._

  
Huge paws gently scooped them along with the sand they laying in and pulled them close, Kailiyah felt out with a hand, the scales were cold like everything else was in Nohr, it was warm, comforting. She found solace in it. Gargantuan wings carried them into the air, to safety.

  
One word fell out of her mouth, “... … Mama…”

 

Maybe... being a dragon wasn't so bad...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a very different perception on Manaketes.  
> I view them more like werewolves as they are beings that are or are able to turn into a monstrous beasts but are able to take a human form. Manaketes as they are known in the Fire Emblem series are in these series and story, but know that Kaili and Kaiden are not completely like them.


End file.
